The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From Virginia's 34-8 Win Over NC State

Virginia made a statement with its week one performance against NC State

Aug 29, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Beau Pribula (7) pre-snap during the first quarter against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Atkins-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sometimes it is best not to get too excited about week zero or week one wins because there are always results that we look back on later in the season and wonder how they happened.

I don't think we will be doing that with Virginia and NC State.

The Cavaliers had arguably the best performance of any team that was playing in week zero and they made a statement by beating the Wolfpack 34-8 and getting an early ACC win. There are still 11 games left to play, but Virginia looks very much like a team that is capable of getting back to the ACC Championship game.

Let's break down the good, the bad, and the ugly from yesterday's win.

The Good

Aug 29, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers safety Brandyn Hillman (6) gestures to the crowd during the game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Atkins-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• Virginia dominated the total yardage in this game, outgaining NC State 413-168. UVA averaged 6.1 yards per play while holding NC State to 3.3 yards per play.

• Virginia was able to gain 258 yards on the ground against the Wolfpack, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. We predicted before the game that because of Virginia's bye week and then an FCS opponent in week two, they would be a run-heavy team, including quarterback Beau Pribula. Pribula and Jekail Middlebrook each had 15 attempts, while Xavier Brown, Noah Vaughn, Peyton Lewis, and Xay Davis all carried the ball as well.

• Virginia was efficient in the passing game. There were hardly any times that Pribula had to sit back and read a defense and make tough throws, if we are being honest, but offensive coordinator Des Kitchings schemed up a lot of open receivers, and Pribula was able to hit them for big gains. He finished the day 9-11 for 155 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged a whopping 17.2 yards per completion. Virginia had 18 first downs compared to just 10 for NC State.

• UVA dominated the time of possession, 38:04 to 21:56. The Cavaliers also finished the day 4-4 on fourth down conversions.

• The defense was elite all day and stifled Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey. Bailey, who is considered one of the most talented quarterbacks in the ACC, finished the day 12-23 for 84 yards and an interception to go along with a 74.2 QBR. Michigan transfer Brandyn Hillman came up with the interception. Virginia also finished with two sacks and four tackles for loss yesterday.

• The run defense did not allow NC State to get anything going on the ground either. The Cavaliers only allowed only 76 yards on 24 carries, with Bailey being the leading rusher for NC State with 33 yards.

• This was a fantastic debut for Pribula. This was the kind of offense that Cavalier fans thought they might see with him under center this season and it did not disappoint. He ran the ball well and was explosive and efficent in the passing game. He had been criticized for making mistakes and turning the ball over while at Missouri, but he stayed mistake free yesterday and kept the Cavaliers on track all day.

The Bad

I don't think there was anything in yesterday's performance that I would consider to be actually bad, but there are some thing that I could nitpick about this performance and I only do so because if UVA is the type of team I think they are, they will have to address these issues by the time they play a better opponent.

• The receivers were pretty lackluster yesterday. I know the gameplan was clearly to run the ball, evidenced by only 11 throwing attempts, but if teams are able to slow the run in a future game, can UVA's receivers create seperation?

• The running game was strong yesterday, but aside from Pribula and Xavier Brown, it was not the most efficent days for players like Peyton Lewis, Xay Davis, and Noah Vaughn, who combined for only 44 yards on 19 carries. There are not many teams on their schedule that I think can completely slow down this rushing attack, but there will come a time when Pribula is going to have to go win a game with his arm.

• The offense was 3-14 on third down, which is not very good. They were aided by being 4-4 on fourth down, but they are going to have to improve this mark in future games.

The Ugly

Nothing ugly in this performance for the Cavaliers.